Sri Lankan Buddha Muchalinda

Bronze Seated Buddha beneath Naga-King Muchalinda

This image of the Buddha seated on and beneath the Naga-ling Muchalinda, has been cast in two separate pieces: the Buddha and his naga-throne, and the hooded head of Muchalinda, which can be removed and slips into a lu at the back of the primary image.

The Buddha has broad shoulders, a wide head, and wears elaborately pleated robes in keeping with the style adopted in depictions of the Buddha in Sri Lanka during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The image has a tall an dbroad flaming unisha, which rises from the top of the Buddha’s head. The curls on the head have remnants of blue colouring – most probably the curls have been coloured with Rickett’s Blue in the manner of the colouring used on Tibetan images.

The image is in fine condition and has a dark patina. There is a very small casting hole in the bas of the plinth on which the Buddha sits.

Coomaraswamy, A.K., Bronzes from Ceylon, Chiefly in the Colombo Museum, Colombo Museum, 1914 (reprinted 1988).

Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka, Phoenix Art Museum, 2003.

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